This invention relates to a friction bushing that provides resistance against rotation of, for example, an arm mounted onto the bushing around a shaft passing through the bushing. The novel friction bushing has use in numerous applications and in particular, friction bushings used on aircraft passenger seats to control the amount of force used to raise or lower meal trays, seat backs, leg rests and the like.
In this application the disclosed friction bushing is designed so that the resistance is created by friction resulting from pressure against a shaft by a plurality of flanges projecting off of the bushing along the axial direction of the shaft. The flanges are radially arranged around the shaft to impart resistance at multiple points on the shaft.